Splattering grease often accompanies the frying of various foods. Such grease can reach to the hand of the cook attending the food and inflict painful and perhaps serious burns. Barbecuing and grilling also results in particles of food or charcoal emanating in various directions. Moreover, the large open area of a grill can produce amounts of heat intolerable to the hand of the person attending to the food.
To ameliorate and avoid such injuries, the shafts of various cooking utensils, especially those for outdoor barbecuing, having grown considerably in length. Such extra-length implements, while reducing somewhat the problems alluded to above, have not completely avoided them; grease droplets can fly considerable distances. Moreover, the extended lengths on the shafts render the utensils awkward to use at best.
In a further effort to provide a modicum of protection to its user, the fork in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,320 to J. Neal et al. slides a shield, in the form of a screen, onto its shaft. The shield, however, blocks the access to an item of food held by the tongs of the fork. It may no longer remain possible even to scrape the item of food off onto a plate. Using an implement in the second hand to dislodge the food, the cook runs the previous risk of having that hand burned. The problem becomes particularly acute during the process of simply turning food over, which requires placing the food on the fork back onto the fire.
Furthermore, Neal et al.'s shield slides onto the utensil's shaft and has only a frictional engagement with it. Consequently, moving the fork around, for example to turn an item of food over, may well cause the shield to change its position upon the fork. Thus, although the shield may previously have occupied an inconvenient location at best, it may subsequently move to one which renders the fork almost useless. Constant use of the fork will accordingly require frequent adjustment of the screen.
A shield for pots appears in H. R. Barnard's U.S. Pat. No. 689,788. Similar to the shield in Neal et al., it may move around on the pot handle. Furthermore, its sole contact while on the pot handle derives from two sleeves urged into contact with the handle by the arms of a coil spring. When that spring wears down or bends out of shape, the shield will no longer stay where placed on the handle. Furthermore, as with Neal et al., the shield presents an effective barrier to attending to the contents of the pot. Consequently, an approach to the pot from the side of the shield becomes necessary and may result in the total loss of the shield's benefits.
A. Young, in his U.S. Pat. No. 550,768, and R. L. Homola, in his U.S. Pat. No. 2,873,522, show forks with devices for removing food held on them. However, the necessity for these implements does not readily appear from the patents themselves.
Consequently, the search continues for a utensil having a protective barrier that effectively protects the hand of its user. Moreover, it should not unduly interfere with the use of the utensil and not require constant attention during such use.
The same attributes represent desirable features in implements intended for use with hot items other than food. For example, logs in a fire frequently spit out sparks especially when undergoing a change of their position to provide a better fire. A shield on a poker employed by a person undertaking this task can also protect him from injury of varying degrees.